Finding Out
by quicksilversquared
Summary: A hero's secret identity can't always stay secret to everyone forever. Parents aren't blind to what their children do and sometimes an attack happens during a test. Some people put together the clues by themselves, while others have to be told.
1. Chapter 1

"So you know how the mayor _finally_ persuaded Ladybug and Chat Noir to do a proper interview tomorrow evening?" Alya asked as she slid into her seat, exactly one minute and twenty five seconds before the bell. "Guess what? I get to go!"

"No way!" Nino gasped, spinning around in his seat. "Really? But I thought it was only for city reporters?"

Alya nodded, excited, and Marinette hid her grin. "Yeah, it was! But the mayor was going over the guest list with Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Ladybug actually _requested_ that _I_ be added! Can you believe it?"

"That's really awesome, Alya," Adrien spoke up, twisting in his seat to look back at the girls.

"And that's not all-" Alya cut herself off as the bell rang. At Marinette's questioning look, she whispered, "I'll tell you over lunch! It's awesome!"

Marinette sat back in her seat, suddenly nervous. What could Alya possibly be talking about? She had taken the opportunity to invite Alya to the "official" interview when it came up, and the invitation _was_ just for her friend...right?

Apparently not.

"I get to bring a guest!" Alya squealed as soon as they were out of the classroom. "You're coming, right Marinette?"

"My parents have a really big order I have to help with tomorrow night," Marinette claimed immediately, feigning disappointment. "But have a good time, Alya! I'll be sure to watch your video."

"Won't your parents let you off for something like this?" Nino asked. "I mean, that's _big._ Getting to see Ladybug and Chat Noir up close when they aren't battling an akuma? I'm sure they'd understand."

They _would_ let her off, even if the order was real. But that was her go-to excuse and she wasn't about to let it get destroyed. "I don't think so. It's a really big order, and we have other stuff that we need to keep up with. Inspection time is coming up again." _That_ was true.

"I'll talk to them," Alya announced. "I have journalism club after school, but after that! Don't worry, Marinette, I'll get them to let you go!"

"Really, Alya, you don't need to do that-" Marinette protested, her heart sinking. Her friend wouldn't listen, though.

She would have to talk to her parents.

* * *

"Hey, mom? Dad?" Marinette stepped into the for-once empty bakery. In only a couple hours, there would be another rush as Partisans got bread for their dinners. "Can I talk to you guys?"

"Of course, sweetie. What's up?" Her mom smiled at her from behind the register, where she was filling frosting sleeves.

"Alya wants me to go to something tomorrow night, and I- well, I don't really want to go, so I was wondering if you could possibly tell her that there's a really big order I have to help with, and there's no possible way I could get out of that?" It came out as one large run-on sentence.

From the back, her dad laughed. "Let me guess, Alya got passes to go see Ladybug and Chat Noir's interview and invited you as well? I suppose it _would_ be a bit difficult for you to be both with her _and_ be Ladybug at the same time."

Marinette's jaw dropped. _What?_

"Of course we'll tell her that we can't spare you, dear," Sabine said cheerfully, acting as though they hadn't just dropped _the biggest bombshell in the history of bombshells_ on her. "We _do_ have a large order tomorrow, but the dough has already been made and is in the freezer. It's nothing we can't handle."

Marinette was still stuck a few sentences back. "Wait, you said...?"

"You'll have to tell us how the event goes, dear," Tom said as he carried a tray of bread to the front and started refilling baskets, scooting around Marinette, who was frozen in place. "We'll watch Alya's recording, of course. Don't let the reporters intimidate you too much. They can be pesky at times, but I don't doubt that you and Chat Noir can handle them."

" _Someone_ certainly needs to put them back in their place," Sabine sniffed. "They certainly _hounded_ the poor fencing instructor after he lost the election! Of course, he certainly didn't help matters with that temper of his."

"They'll probably ask you and Chat Noir if you're dating," Tom added, tray now empty as he headed back behind the counter. "They get ridiculously interested in things like that. You might want to talk to Chat beforehand about questions like that, because I know he likes joking around and the press _will_ twist your words and actions."

"Ummm..."

"Saying that you're just friends and fighting partners would be your best bet," Sabine chimed in. "Anything more than that will get people trying to get you to admit to more."

"Wait, when did you..." Marinette trailed off, not wanting to confirm it.

"Figure out that you're Ladybug? About three months after your first public battle." Tom smiled at his dumbstruck daughter. "What, you thought we wouldn't notice? A girl with black hair and blue eyes about your size _just happens_ to show up just about the same time you started acting a bit odd and your schoolwork wasn't quite as good as before? Besides, you always went missing about the same time as Ladybug showed up." He paused to grin at Marinette's dumbstruck expression, then added, "We _would_ like to ask that you not stay out so late on weeknights. I'm sure patrol is important, but so is your health and schoolwork."

Sabine grinned at Marinette, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "What, did you really think that we would be so lenient with you missing classes and your grades dropping if we didn't know? Come on now, Marinette. We may be laid back parents, but even we wouldn't go that far if we didn't know the reason behind it."

"I'm still amused that Ladybug's best friend runs the Ladyblog," Tom laughed. "And Alya doesn't suspect a thing, even though she's the one who got an exclusive interview with Ladybug that _you_ got for her." He gave Marinette a look. "What kind of excuse did you come up with for that one?"

"Alya didn't ask and I didn't volunteer anything," Marinette managed. "But she's been suspicious of me on a couple instances."

"We'll have to fix that," Tom decided. "We'll doctor a video or something to throw her off. It'll be fun!"

"Uhhh..." Marinette wasn't positive that that would work. "Alya's pretty talented with technology, dad. So is Nino. I think they'd be able to tell if something was doctored."

Tom was rubbing his hands together, looking delighted and ignoring his daughter's concerns. "Not if we do something like... record audio clips, and play them when we go out and see Ladybug! The computer would be behind us, maybe in the car, and then we could give the video to you to show Alya, and she could put it on her blog and throw the entire _city_ off your trail."

"We'll come up with lines to record while you're at the event," Sabine told Marinette cheerfully. "And don't worry about Alya. We'll take care of it."

"That...okay, yeah, thanks," Marinette managed. She gave herself a brisk shake. "Um, but you're okay with me being Ladybug?"

"Of course. We couldn't be prouder." Tom smiled at his daughter. "We worry, of course, but you're a good fighter, and so is Chat Noir. The least we can do is support you."

* * *

Alya was thoroughly disappointed when Marinette's parents refused to let Marinette out of helping with the order, but eventually she accepted defeat and invited Nino instead.

Ladybug lept over the rooftops as it got closer to their agreed-upon time, heading to her and Chat Noir's normal meeting place. Her parents had suggested a couple other questions that they prepare answers to so that they not be blindsided. Maybe they should have made a list of questions that were off-limits, but at the same time, if the reporters _weren't_ thinking of those kinds of questions, they might just get ideas.

"Good evening, my Lady," Chat Noir called as she landed. "Regretting agreeing to this yet?"

"Of course," Ladybug sighed. "But maybe we can get them to stop swarming us after attacks. What exactly are they expecting us to _say?_ ' Yay us, we stopped another akuma'?"

Chat snorted. "My question exactly. I'm just worried about what _else_ they might ask us."

She nodded. "Yeah, so am I. You probably shouldn't joke around too much on the questions, since the reporters might twist what you say." She didn't tell him that it was her _parents_ who had thought of it- she remembered his murmured comments from the Bubbler incident, and saying that her parents paid close enough attention to her to figure out who she was even with the mask's hiding power might bring up a sore spot with him.

He just blinked at her. "What kinds of questions might they twist?"

Ladybug fought back the sudden blush trying to creep onto her cheeks. "If they want to know what our 'relationship' is like. If you joke around like you did with Lady Wifi, they might decide to take you seriously."

"Aha. Got it. No suggestive comments. Probably no nicknames as well, then?" Chat Noir grinned at her. "But the cat puns are not off limits, at least?"

Ladybug groaned. "No, I suppose not. I hadn't thought about the nicknames thing, but you're right."

Chat Noir grinned. "No? But think of the things the tabloids could say about us if we did any nicknames! 'Ladybug and Chat Noir deny relationship, refer to each other by cheesy pet names for the entire interview'! 'Paris's cutest couple have nicknames for each other, but deny any relationship-'"

Ladybug groaned and clapped a hand over Chat's mouth. "What, do you make up titles for tabloid articles as your day job?"

He clapped a hand to his chest, mock-wounded. "Never, my Lady-" The chime of a clock cut off his next words. "Ah, it would seem that we have somewhere to be. Shall we?"

They landed in the middle of the press circle exactly three minutes past the hour. There were cheers all around as people pressed closer. Ladybug suddenly started feeling mildly claustrophobic. Chat pressed comfortingly into her side, one hand on the small of her back.

"All right, all right! You're crowding them, let them breathe!" Mayor Bourgeois appeared in the crowd, for once a welcome sight. "Perhaps we should get seats so that everyone can see? Staff, chairs for everyone, please!"

"I'm thinking he didn't plan this out spectacularly well," Chat muttered in Ladybug's ear as the Mayor's staff rushed around, collecting chairs from several rooms to set up in a half-circle around the superheroes.

She nodded in agreement. "To be fair, though, we _did_ only give three days' notice."

"This setup is more like three _hours_ ' notice. Possibly three minutes." Chat Noir's head suddenly swiveled to the side and he grinned. "Except for the refreshments. _That_ looks like three weeks' notice. Yum."

Ten minutes later, all of the news people had been settled. Ladybug was glad to see Alya in the front row, Nino directly behind her. It soon became apparent that most of the news stations had opted to have the camera person in the front row to get a prime view, while the reporter sat behind.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we are lucky to have the famous Ladybug and Chat Noir here today to take your questions!" the mayor boomed out, standing behind them like a proud father. "One at a time, please- er, do you want me to call on people?"

"Yeah, sure," Chat Noir responded quickly as Ladybug nodded. The presence of so many cameras was making her nervous, even with her partner at her side. What if she said something she shouldn't? What if _he_ said something he shouldn't?

"Why do you keep your identities secret?" a man in purple asked quickly. He held a pen and paper on his lap. "Paris wants to know who her heroes are!"

"First of all, we value our privacy," Next to Ladybug, Chat Noir nodded. "We like being able to live as normal citizens when we're not saving the city. If you _did_ know who we are, how would we get anything done? People might not treat us normally."

"Secondly-" Chat Noir paused and turned to her. "Is that even a word? _Anyway_ , it would be dangerous for us. Hawk Moth could target our friends and family to get to us. He could target us directly when we're at home and sleeping. Letting anyone know who we are would just not turn out well."

Alya nodded, having known all of this already. Ladybug could practically read her mind- _honestly, did these reporters think that they were above reading her blog? Rude._

"Does anyone know who you are? Do you know who the other is?"

"We don't know who each other are in real life," Ladybug said first, hoping Chat would take over.

"And we don't tell anyone in our regular life either," Chat finished. Ladybug hid her smile- _hah I didn't have to lie_.

"What's your relationship like?" a blonde reporter blurted out, completely out of turn (" _Tabloid writer,"_ Chat Noir hissed quietly in Ladybug's ear). "I mean, you seem very close." She gestured to how they were standing- shoulder-to-shoulder, Chat Noir's hand resting on Ladybug's back.

"We're friends and fighting partners," Ladybug said immediately, reeling off her mother's lines without any hesitation. "We work well together, especially since we've been fighting as a team for a while now."

"But there have been some pictures of the two of you looking _very_ close." The blonde wriggled her eyebrows, obviously looking for the scoop of a lifetime.

Chat Noir raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Some photos have surfaced from an attack last Valentine's day, and even our team of experts verified that they weren't photoshopped." The reporter waved the photos, and everyone craned their necks to see. "You two were kissing in several photos."

Chat's "Huh?" was drowned out by the gasps from the other press members that could see the photos. Ladybug stiffened but waited until the commotion died down to answer.

"We were fighting an akuma that turned people's friends and partners against them, and Chat Noir got hit by the arrow. I needed him back on my side to fight Dislocoeur, and the only way to override the curse was to kiss him. So I did." Ladybug shrugged. "Next?"

"Several things about that day are suddenly making a lot more sense," Chat laughed breathlessly. "I don't remember a really large chunk of time, only flashes that make no sense, and then all of a sudden I was in the park with my Cataclysm out."

"So-" the blonde woman started again, only to be stopped by a stern look from the mayor. He called on another reporter.

"How about some fun questions?" Mrs. Chamack asked. "Favorite colors?"

There was some muttering and eye rolling at that one, but Ladybug and Chat Noir immediately relaxed. "Blue," he immediately volunteered.

"Green."

"Favorite food?"

"Toasted cheese on sourdough and tomato soup," Chat Noir said immediately.

"That's a meal, not a food," Ladybug teased. "Mine is chocolate chip cookies."

"Ah, sweets for the sweet," Chat Noir immediately shot back, grinning. Ladybug elbowed him gently and he feigned hurt.

The question session continued, with some easy questions and some hard ones. There were a couple questions they wouldn't answer ("If people know us in real life, they could figure out who we are."). Finally, the questions wound down and the group broke up to browse at the refreshment table.

"That wasn't awful," Chat Noir said as they waited for the crowd to ease away from them. "I mean, I'm not in any huge hurry to do it again, but it wasn't _awful_."

"I think Alya already knew the answer to a lot of those questions," Ladybug laughed as he led her to the table of refreshments. She grinned as she realized that he was steering her right to the cookie area. "At least for me."

"There's only so many questions they can ask," Chat agreed. "Cookie, my Lady?"

They escaped as soon as their Miraculous started beeping, Chat filching several pieces of cheese and Ladybug taking a handful of cookies as they left.

"Do you want to patrol tonight, my Lady?" Chat asked as they swung onto the rooftop. "We can go recharge first."

"Don't you have homework to do?" Ladybug asked in false exasperation. "That sounds good, though. That was pretty stifling."

"I know, right? See you in five minutes, then?" Chat didn't wait for a response before bounding away. Ladybug headed in the opposite direction, leaps getting more and more energetic as she looked forward to a freeing late-night patrol.

* * *

Three weeks and several failed attempts later, Tom finally presented Marinette with his 'doctored' video. There had been an attack right outside the bakery, and the civilians in the area had cleared out quickly. The video was several minutes long and used almost all of the prerecorded clips her parents had made her record. Marinette had to admit that it was very good- if she didn't know better, she could have sworn that she was right there in the recording. Tom had even managed to get a flash of her mother's hair into the video, blurred enough that it could easily be confused for Marinette.

"Alya! I have a video of Ladybug to show you!" Marinette exclaimed as soon as she got to school the next morning. She waved the flash drive at her friend. "It's sort of long, though, so we'll have to wait until lunch."

"No way! You never get videos of Ladybug! I thought you tried to avoid the battles since you got turned into a mummy that one time?"

"The last fight was right outside of the bakery for a while," Marinette explained. "We could stay inside and record without putting ourselves in danger."

"What's this? An exclusive new Ladybug video?" Nino exclaimed, coming over to sling his arms over Alya and Marinette's shoulders. Adrien followed behind his best friend. "Can I see?"

"Not until lunch! Marinette said that it's too long to watch before class starts." Alya checked her watch and jumped, shoving Marinette and Nino up the stairs. "Speaking of class, we'll be late if we don't get going!"

Marinette grinned as she followed her friend up the steps. Her parents knew her secret, but that was all right. The video- it was going to end up on Alya's blog, she just knew it- would keep her secret identity safe from the rest of Paris.

* * *

 _Bonus_

Adrien felt a slight stab of disappointment as the video clip ended again. Alya had posted it on her Ladyblog, and Adrien had spent what felt like hours watching and re-watching it. He had been so _sure_ that Marinette was Ladybug. She shared so many of his Lady's traits- she was brave, always standing up to Chloe, and kind. Like him, she had the tendency to vanish during attacks. He could see himself falling for Marinette easily if she was Ladybug's civilian form.

But apparently not. The video matched what he could remember from the fight and the voices sounded natural. There was background noise that was clearly coming from the fight that was going on. There was even a flash of Marinette's hair in the video. There was no way to keep denying it. Marinette was _not_ Ladybug, and he was far more disappointed than he expected to be.

Maybe it was because he'd gotten a soft spot for the girl. Maybe it was because he'd suspected her as Ladybug for so long, he'd started projecting his feelings for Ladybug onto her. Maybe it was just because she was a genuinely nice person and friend, someone he wouldn't mind falling for.

Adrien got up from his desk with a sigh and headed to the bathroom. His quest to find Ladybug's civilian identity was back to square one, it seemed.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette sucked in a deep breath as she leaned against the bathroom stall. Tikki hovered in front of her. "I can't do this."

"Yes you can, Marinette!" Tikki said, hovering in front of her face. "Miss Bustier is nice! She'll help you. No one wants to make Lady Luck's life harder!"

"Isn't it dangerous, though? To have people know who I am?" Even if her parents already knew, actually _telling_ someone about her superhero identity was, well, _terrifying._

"Yes, but Miss Bustier already got akumatized, so it's not going to happen again," Tikki said eagerly. "And she can get the other teacher to go easier on you! If you or your parents asked for a bit of lenity, they wouldn't listen. But another teacher can just say that there's personal circumstances and they don't need any more information."

"Okay. I trust you, Tikki." Marinette took a deep breath. "Transform me!"

Moments later, Ladybug shot out of the bathroom and up to Miss Bustier's room. Since it was Friday, the building was empty and there was no one to see the red superhero land in front of Miss Bustier's classroom door and enter.

"You wanted to see me, Miss Bustier?" Ladybug asked, closing the door behind her. Her teacher sat at her desk, correcting tests with her back to the door.

"Yes, Marinette, you've been missing class more and more often, and today was the last straw." Miss Bustier finished the page she was on and started to turn, her voice stern. "You missed a test, and there's no possible excuse for-"

Pause.

"Surprise?" Ladybug offered up weakly.

Miss Bustier was frozen. "Marinette?"

"Yeah." With a flash, she transformed back, trying hard not to bite her lip. She didn't entirely succeed. "There was an attack, and I couldn't finish it up in time."

"Well, I... I suppose saving the city is a good excuse for missing class." Miss Bustier slumped back into her chair. "Wow. I wasn't expecting that, but it does make a lot of sense. Wow. Okay. Yes."

Marinette watched nervously as Miss Bustier processed the new information. There was a lot of blank staring going on. Blank staring was probably not good.

"Please don't tell anyone," Marinette begged. "It's really dangerous for me if a lot of people know."

"Yes, of course." Miss Bustier suddenly frowned. "That video you showed Alya, where your family was watching Ladybug?"

"Pre-recorded voices that my parents played while doing the filming."

The teacher gave out a sudden snort. "I can't say that you're not creative. That probably threw the entire city off of your scent." She let out a long sigh. "Okay. So I stand corrected- you _did_ have a good excuse for missing things. If you feel ready, you can take the exam now."

Marinette nodded. "Okay. I- just let my heart stop racing, I was _so_ nervous about the whole reveal thing."

Miss Bustier laughed. "Of course. Take as long as you need. I... will brainstorm how we can deal with your missing class while you do that, because I'm not going to penalize you for saving the city."

Marinette nodded and sat down in her normal seat, pulling out her pencil. Tikki was right. With Miss Bustier on her side, at least a couple of her classes were going to be a whole lot less stressful.

An hour later, Marinette handed the test in. She felt that it had gone really well, Lady Luck's luck (and her own studying) swooping in again. Miss Bustier smiled as she took the test and scanned the first couple answers.

"Okay, I have a few ideas for when you miss class," Miss Bustier said, setting the test aside. "I assume that whenever you go to the bathroom, it's actually for an attack?"

Marinette nodded. "Right."

"I can mark down what parts of lecture you miss and give you abbreviated notes after class. That way, you get what you'll need for tests but not the fluff."

"Okay."

"If there's an attack during a test, just write something that indicates as much on your test and hand it in then, and you can finish after school. And I'll talk to Madam Mendeleiev about giving you the same leniency without giving her specifics. Your duties as one of the city's saviors shouldn't affect your grades." She laughed. "Not a sentence I even thought I'd say. I'll hold on to your bag for you when you're gone, so I can slip the notes to you without the entire class noticing."

"That sounds great. Thanks, Miss Bustier."

* * *

Adrien's stomach felt filled with lead as soon as the fight was over and he could think about that test that he had to fail in order to get there on time. He _knew_ that he had awful, half-baked answers for nearly all of the questions, but he _needed_ to get out and help Ladybug. He could only wish that he was had been as confident on the test as Marinette, who had managed to crank out the test in maybe fifteen minutes and was out of the room before the akuma attack happened. He was going to fail the test, he knew it, and he hadn't even managed to study much for it because of two back-to-back photoshoots and then an akuma attack.

"You're quiet tonight, Kitty," Ladybug said that night as they headed across rooftops. They called it patrol, but it was really more of a keeping in shape and practicing their fighting skills than anything else. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Very funny." He let out a long sigh. "The attack today was in the middle of a test and the only way I could get out was just to fail it outright. My father is going to be furious with me, and I'm worried that he'll pull me out of my school and make me get tutors again. He's been threatening to do that ever since I became Chat Noir and it started affecting my grades."

Ladybug looked surprised. Chat plowed on. "I just don't know what to _do_. Do...do you have any ideas?"

To his surprise, Ladybug stepped up to him and hugged him tightly. "I _do_ , actually. I had the same problems, except my parents...well, they know I'm Ladybug. I didn't tell them, they just _knew_. So they never had an issue with me missing classes, or my grades dropping. My teachers did, though, so...I showed one of them."

Chat blinked at her in surprise. "You _voluntarily_ told someone who you are?" He couldn't hold back the twinge of hurt and jealousy. She had never told _him_ who she was.

"It was that or face getting in a _lot_ of trouble and possibly being held back a year. I only told one teacher, and it was one who is _really_ nice. She managed to talk to my other teacher and persuade her to give me an easier time without giving specifics." She smiled up at him. "I just make up tests after school if there was an attack while I was taking it, and I get notes for lectures I've missed. I told her two months ago, and my grades have improved _so much_ since."

Chat let out a breath. At least the test he had failed was in Miss Bustier's class. She'd be safe to tell.

"How..." Chat cleared his throat. Ladybug was still _really_ close. He'd be distressed more often if _this_ was the result. "How did you tell her?"

Ladybug giggled. "Miss- er, my teacher asked me to come in after school because I missed a test, and so once everyone was gone...I just showed up as Ladybug and pretty much went 'So you wanted to see me?' and it took her a minute to realize that it was Ladybug standing there and not, y'know, regular me."

Chat had to grin at the picture. He could just imagine Miss Bustier's reaction if he did that. "I think I'll take a page out of your book and do that. I'm sure I'll get called in after that disaster." He groaned. "I can only hope that my teacher calls me in instead of calling my dad right off the bat."

"Hopefully my good luck will rub off on you," Ladybug joked, rubbing his arms.

Chat grinned and hugged her back. "Thank you for the advice, My Lady."

* * *

Miss Bustier returned the tests the next day. She frowned at Adrien as she handed back his test face-down, and he winced and peered under the paper too see scrawled in bright red, _SEE ME AFTER SCHOOL_ right next to his grade of 18/100.

 _Ouch._

He had his Lady's advice, though, and she had already tried it and it had worked for her. He shoved the worry to the back of his mind and forced down the sick knot in his stomach. He had to focus on class now and just get through the day, or his distraction would cost him on the next set of tests.

Adrien stalled in the locker room after school while everyone milled around, then slowly filtered out. Nino clapped a hand on Adrien's shoulder before leaving. Adrien hadn't told him just how bad his test grade had been, just that his photo shoots kept him from studying enough and the test hadn't gone well.

Adrien slid through the empty hallways and into the bathroom to transform. He was lucky that the school was deserted, the nice weather meaning that clubs were meeting in the park instead of in the building. With a flash of green, Chat Noir slid out of the bathroom with the hated test in hand.

He was burning it after this. After talking with Ladybug, he had decided to study for the test again. Most of the reason his grade was awful was because he had no time to take the test, but there was an aspect of not having studied enough as well. Hopefully Miss Bustier would let him take the test over.

Chat Noir landed in front of the cracked door lightly and stuck his head in cautiously. Miss Bustier sat with her back to the door, but the room was otherwise empty. Taking a deep breath, Chat stepped in and repeated Ladybug's line. "You wanted to see me, Miss Bustier?"

"Yes, Adrien, I wanted to talk about your last exam because it was positively-" Miss Bustier turned around and froze before clapping a hand to her face. "Ah. Okay. That makes sense. I'll print out another copy of the test and you can re-take it now, if you have time?"

Chat blinked. "I was not expecting that to go so well. Wow. Okay. Yeah, I can retake it now."

"All right, Adrien, take a seat an- uh, you can transform back while I go get that ready." Miss Bustier headed out as Chat Noir headed numbly to his seat and transformed back in a flash of light. That was _too_ easy. She was surprised, yes, but he hadn't expected her to figure out that Chat was _him_ so quickly.

 _It was almost like this exact same situation...had happened before?_

Miss Buster was back in minutes with a fresh test in hand. "We can discuss how to deal with this in the future after you finish your test, but don't worry about it for now." She handed the paper to him. "Just... out of curiosity, do you and Ladybug know each other's identities?"

Adrien shook his head and took the test, writing his name down. "No, we don't. She was the one who suggested that I tell you about being Chat Noir, though, since she's apparently done the same thing with her teachers."

As Adrien bowed his head to start his test, he missed the smile that crossed Miss Bustier's face as she tried not to giggle. _Oh, boy. What was the chance of having both of Paris' superheroes in her class?_

* * *

As it turned out, it was actually very easy to keep Marinette and Adrien from finding out about each other. Adrien's busy schedule meant that for the few test retakes he had to do, he sometimes had to wait a day or three to finish his tests. Since they already had a system in place for Marinette, it was very easy to apply it to him as well- and it _definitely_ didn't hurt that he was always missing class at the same time Marinette was.

If nothing else, knowing the secret identity of both of Paris' superheroes was a huge source of amusement. Everyone with eyes could see Marinette's crush on Adrien, and there were several videos of the superhero where Chat Noir's adoration of Ladybug showed very clearly.

It was a love square made of two people, and watching it was _hilarious_.


	3. Chapter 3

Tom and Sabine weren't blind. They could see how Chat Noir looked at their daughter when she was Ladybug. He absolutely _adored_ her, and it showed constantly. She cared for him as well, but as a friend.

Once upon a time, they might have shipped Ladybug and Chat Noir together, since their partnership was incredibly strong and they seemed to read each other's minds at times. But ever since they met the boy who Marinette had a crush on- so polite, so kind, and rather good-looking to boot... well. The focus of their shipping had promptly switched directions.

The only question now was how to gently dissuade Chat Noir's affections away from Ladybug, since Ladybug was Marinette and Marinette liked Adrien and Tom and Sabine heartily approved of Adrien. It would be better for Chat Noir in the long run if he moved on, really, so that he wouldn't be crushed when he inevitably worked up the courage to confess to Ladybug.

 _How_ they could dissuade him was a whole different question, though. Even if they could figure out what they could possibly say, the whole matter of actually _running into_ Chat Noir at a convenient time to talk was a whole other box of worms. They were always busy in the bakery.

They had never expected Chat Noir to burst into the storage room of their bakery in a frantic rush to find a place to detransform.

* * *

Chat Noir was panicking just a little bit as his Miraculous ran down. He had barely had time for his regular fist bump with Ladybug before he bolted, trying to find somewhere safe to release his transformation. The streets seemed unusually busy, even the alleys not private enough to safely release his transformation. He let out a relieved breath as he saw Marinette's parents' bakery appear in front of him. He could release his transformation there, and if her parents saw _Adrien_ leaving the house, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. He could always claim that he was there to ask Marinette for notes he had missed when he was at a photoshoot.

Silently thanking Marinette for the tour she had given him of her house and the bakery, Chat Noir found the open window to the bakery storage room quickly enough and bounded in, rolling in through the window and landing on the floor. He breathed out a sigh of relief, bending over to rest his hands on his knees as his transformation unraveled. _Too close. Way too close._

And then he looked up. Standing at the door, their mouths hanging open, were Marinette's parents.

 _Oh no_.

"Um... hi?" Adrien tried weakly, one hand coming up to wave before flopping back down to his side. He bit his lip, trying to think of something, _anything_ to say. Tom and Sabine continued to look flabbergasted.

"Cheeeeeese," Plagg groaned, apparently unconcerned that _Adrien's identity had just been revealed jeez Plagg get your priorities in order_ as he flopped down listlessly on a sack of flour. A cloud of white dust puffed up into the air and settled on the small black kwami. "So huuuuuungry..."

"Please don't tell anyone," Adrien begged finally, widening his eyes into what his mom had once called his kitten pout. He hadn't used the expression since she vanished, so he had no idea whether it still remained as effective now that he was several years older. "It's really dangerous for people to know, since-"

"Since Hawkmoth could target you directly, we know," Tom cut across him cheerfully, his dropped jaw picking itself up and spreading into a wide grin as he recovered from his surprise. "Don't worry about it, son. Your secret is safe with us, right honey?"

Sabine nodded eagerly, her smile spreading as wide as Tom's. Adrien blinked, not sure whether he should be confused or relieved.

"Now, your kwami said something about cheese?" Tom glanced over at the small shape as he spoke. Plagg's ears twitched, suddenly interested. "Will cheese bread do?"

Plagg perked up immediately, energy suddenly restored as he shot over to Tom in a black blur. "YES PLEASE!"

* * *

Adrien found himself shuffled into the bakery's kitchen with Tom as Sabine manned the front counter. Tom was a whirlwind around the kitchen, Plagg riding on the man's shoulder as he happily munched his way through the supply of day-old cheese bread Tom had had on hand.

"We tend not to have too many leftovers we can't use," Tom told Adrien as he worked. "We have a couple restaurants that will buy day-old bread for stuffing, croutons, bread pudding, and meatloaf. We use some in our own home, of course. Anything beyond that gets donated."

"That's awesome," Adrien commented. "How do you decide how much to make each day? Isn't it hard to predict?"

Tom chuckled, handing Adrien a croissant. "At first, yes. But I have a very good clerk working the front counter- very beautiful too, I might add," Tom tacked on, raising his voice enough for his wife to hear him as she passed in the hallway. Adrien could hear her laugh. "It didn't take us too long to figure out the patterns of what breads were most popular and what days have the most visitors. There's a weekly cycle, as well as a yearly one- holidays and all, you know. We also have extra dough for most of our breads refrigerated, so if we _do_ run out earlier than normal, it doesn't take long to make more. For big or unusual orders, our normal customers usually warn us in advance."

Adrien nodded, practically inhaling the croissant before realizing that he should at least _try_ not to eat like a starving lion. Tom only chuckled at the look on Adrien's face before passing him a bagel.

"I couldn't-" Adrien started, embarrassed at his own behavior, but Tom only chuckled and patted his back.

"There's no shame in being hungry. You're a growing boy, and a very active one at that. You look a tad peaky, too. Do they feed you right at home?"

"They- yes- well, uh, they _try_ , at least-" Adrien stammered, caught off guard. Surely Tom wasn't insinuating that his father was purposefully restricting his food? Gabriel Agreste wouldn't do that. If he weren't Chat Noir, the food he got at home would definitely be enough. He _had_ been losing weight recently, though, something he was a bit concerned about.

"They can't account for all the exercise you get as Chat Noir," Tom finished for him cheerfully. He slid a tray of bread into the oven and set a timer before turning back around to face Adrien. "Well, we can certainly help you with that. Not _all_ of our leftovers have to go to restaurants."

"You don't have to do that," Adrien insisted, his cheeks getting pink. Getting _charity_ was new. "I wouldn't want to take away from your bakery's profits. I'm fine, really."

"Paris can't have one of its superheroes passing out mid-battle for want of food. Besides, the bakery makes plenty even without selling leftovers to restaurants." Humming loudly, Tom beamed at Adrien and started taking out ingredients to decorate a series of small cakes that sat on the counter. The message was clear: _I'm doing this no matter how much you protest_. Adrien couldn't say he wasn't thankful. He also suspected that Mr. Dupain would probably start baking extras just for him and pretend that it was an accident. As the man offered Adrien a fruit tart, Adrien could only smile and accept it with a murmured _thanks_.

Marinette had the best parents, honestly. Once it grew late enough that Adrien had to go home, they sent him on his way with a complimentary bag of rolls and fruit tarts, which got tucked into his messenger bag. Plagg had been given cheese bread for the road. The kwami was making the most obnoxious chewing noises Adrien had ever heard, and the blond model found himself incredibly thankful that the streets were as empty as they were. While he liked to think that he had gotten better at coming up with excuses on the fly since becoming Chat Noir, he had no idea how he would explain his kwami's noises.

"I'm glad they found out," Plagg said between bites. "Their cheese bread is the _best_. Can we visit every day?"

Adrien groaned. "No. I'm not taking advantage of them like that. Every other day, tops. And stop snuggling up to them like a cat. I know perfectly well you just want them to think you're cute so they'll feed you more."

Plagg snickered. "But I _am_ cute!"

* * *

Tom hummed happily as he sent Adrien on his way with a bag of day-old bread (and some fresh things as well, not that he would admit it). He had noticed the model looking a little pale and drawn the last few times he had stopped by to see Marinette and had tried to feed the boy then. Now that he understood just _why_ the boy was looking so thin, he could do something about it.

"I wonder how much he gets to eat at home," Tom commented that night as he and Sabine got ready for bed. They hadn't had a chance to discuss the afternoon's events much, since they were busy in the shop until it closed and then Marinette was with them. "I mean, they _had_ to notice that he was getting thinner, right?"

"I'm sure they did. Perhaps he's about to get another growth spurt, and that's why he's gotten thinner recently?" Sabine suggested. "Or maybe it's because of all of the attacks recently. Marinette certainly has been eating more."

Tom huffed out a laugh. "I still can't believe that _Adrien_ is _Chat Noir._ Who would have thought?"

"You do realize what that means, right?" Sabine's voice was teasing. Tom turned to her with his eyebrows raised. She giggled at him. "Marinette likes Adrien, who is Chat Noir and likes Ladybug, who _is_ Marinette!"

A smile slowly split Tom's face. "So... we still ship Ladynoir?"

"Oh, definitely."

* * *

Adrien was confused. Very, very confused. Tom and Sabine had always been friendly when he came over to work on projects or play video games with Marinette (she had ridiculously good reflexes, meaning that he actually had to _try_ to win), sometimes to the point of being a little _too_ friendly. He had suspected on more than one occasion that they were trying to set him up with their daughter. He had thought that maybe they would tone down on the set-ups now that they knew that he was Chat Noir and in love with Ladybug but no, they seemed to be even more enthusiastic about it.

Equally oddly, they seemed to be incredibly enthusiastic about Ladybug and Chat Noir... or, as he once overheard them calling it, _Ladynoir._

Ladybug had definitely noticed it too, judging by the exasperated glance he once saw her shoot in Tom and Sabine's direction.

It would have made sense if Marinette was Ladybug, but she wasn't. The video that Mariette had brought to school months ago had put that theory to rest for once and for all, since it showed both her and Marinette at the same time.

Adrien decided not to question it too much. It was perfectly possible that Marinette's parents just wanted him to be happy.

...it was still strange, though.

* * *

The shift in Marinette's parents' attitude towards him wasn't the only thing Adrien had noticed changing in the weeks since they found out.

He was growing again.

It hadn't started right away, of course. The spaces in between his ribs filled back in first, no longer uncomfortably bony. His cheeks weren't quite so sallow anymore and the makeup artists had commented on it, saying that they no longer needed to use quite so much makeup to make him camera ready. He had more energy, and he could trace it all back to the bread and treats he was getting from Tom and Sabine. Whenever they could manage it, the baker and his wife were foisting off leftovers from their family meals on him as well. No matter how much Adrien protested when they gave him food, he couldn't deny that it was nice to not have his stomach growling quite so constantly.

And then came the growing.

"Those pants simply do not fit you correctly!" Pierre fussed as Adrien tried to situate himself into a desired pose. "Ugh! No, no, this will never work!"

Confused, Adrien looked down at himself. The clothes he wore to model _always_ fit. After all, they were made to his measurements. But sure enough, the hem of the pants was a good half-inch high, and the shirt seemed a bit shorter than usual and tight across his shoulders. Adrien wondered if his father perhaps had hired a new intern to sew things, then dismissed the idea. His father only hired the best of designers and seamstresses to work for him. There probably had been a miscommunication in the measurements, or maybe a computer had glitched when printing out the pattern pieces.

"Go change out of that outfit and put on the next one," Pierre ordered. "I will tell Nathalie that the piece needs to be remade. Go, go, go!"

Adrien jogged back towards the changing rooms, wincing slightly as his toes rubbed up against the ends of his shoes. His feet had been feeling increasingly pinched recently with his shoes on, and it was only the fact that they felt fine when his feet were bare or when he was Chat Noir that kept him from asking Nathalie to research possible foot injuries.

Next outfit in place, Adrien jogged back out. Pierre frowned as soon as he saw Adrien and the model skidded to a halt, eyes wide. He had been _positive_ that he hadn't messed up his hair or makeup when he was changing. He'd been very careful, just like always.

As it turned out, that wasn't what Pierre was concerned about at all.

"Pants are too short, _shirt_ is too short and too tight, jacket..." Pierre gave it a sharp tug, trying to close it. It didn't reach. "Jacket shoulders are _far_ too narrow. Next outfit!"

The next outfit was rejected, as was the one following it. Pierre was frowning now and Nathalie was on the phone with Adrien's father. Adrien could hear the yelling from the phone from where he stood.

"Mr. Agreste said to have an intern measure everything to check on sizes," Nathalie reported as soon as she hung up. Seconds later, a terrified-looking intern was produced and immediately shuffled off to the wardrobe by Nathalie. Not even five minutes later, they were back and looking confused.

"Everything _should_ be the right size," Nathalie reported. Then her eyes fell on Adrien and she frowned. "Francie, take Adrien's measurements for me, please."

Adrien straightened up immediately as the intern scuttled around him, pressing the tape measure against him and calling out numbers. Nathalie's expression turned surprised as she scribbled down the numbers on her clipboard. As soon as Francie finished, Nathalie straightened with a strange expression- was that a _smile?_

"I think Adrien's part of the photoshoot will have to be delayed, Pierre," she said, her voice falling back into calm authority. "The female models are ready, though. I'll send them out. Adrien's shoot will have to be rescheduled once I find out when the remade clothes will be done."

Pierre let out what was possibly the most exasperated sound that Adrien had ever heard in his life. "But the shoot must be done in time to get the pictures edited for publication! This is unprofessional to not have the right sized clothes and-"

Nathalie held up her hand, effortlessly silencing the irate photographer. He eyed her irritably as she checked something on her clipboard before speaking.

"New clothes will be made as quickly as possible, Pierre. We just didn't anticipate Adrien growing, let alone growing as much as he did. From now on, we'll take his measurements _before_ making anything for a photoshoot. He's finally hit his growth spurt, it seems."

Adrien blinked in confusion. "But I already _had_ my growth spurt," he protested. While he certainly wasn't the tallest person in their class, he certainly wasn't short, either. He had been growing before he became Chat Noir, and only stopped about a month into the superhero business. He had been a bit let down that he had turned out shorter than both his mother and his father, but he had gotten over it.

Eventually.

Nathalie only shook her head as she steered him back to the changing rooms. "It seems as though you are in the middle of another. Change back into your regular clothes, though somehow I suspect those might not fit right, either. I'll talk to your father about getting you a new wardrobe in your new size."

"But I might grow out of that too if I'm still growing," Adrien protested, heading back to the dressing room regardless. "I haven't noticed anything wrong with my normal clothes. They're not tailored so closely as the thing I wear for shoots."

Nathalie was already punching something into her tablet. "We wouldn't buy you too much until you've stopped growing for sure, if that's what you're worried about." She sent a sharp look at his shoes. "New shoes will be on the list too, I think. Your feet look like they're about to burst out."

"Thanks, Nathalie!"

* * *

"Well don't you look dapper today!" were the first words out of Sabine's mouth when Adrien saw her next. She smiled at him as she rung up his purchases (he pretended not to notice when she slipped in a couple extra things without charging him). "New wardrobe?"

Adrien handed over his money with a grin. "Yeah, I've been growing a lot recently. Almost everything I own is too short or too tight now. I hadn't even noticed until my photographer had a meltdown at a shoot." Looking back, he _should_ have noticed, even if his everyday wear was looser and longer than the clothes he usually modelled. His new clothes didn't stretch across his shoulders like the old ones did, and the _shoes..._

He really liked having toe room. His foot pains _mysteriously_ vanished as soon as he got new, larger shoes.

Sabine laughed. "Well, it shouldn't have been a surprise. Your body needed the energy to grow and you just weren't getting enough."

Adrien blinked, surprised. He hadn't thought about that. He accepted the bakery bag on autopilot. _Was he really growing now because of the extra food?_ If so, he'd _really_ have to thank Tom and Sabine.

Pierre and Sabine weren't the only ones to comment on his sudden growth spurt. Chloe ended up hanging off his arm, feeling up his muscles as Adrien tried to get away.

"Adrikins! Come here for a minute!" Chloe practically _pounced_ on Adrien as soon as he appeared at school in short sleeves for the first time. She plastered herself to his side, hands wrapping possessively around his upper arm. "Ooh, have you been working out? These muscles are _yummy_."

Adrien only just managed to hold back a wince. _Yummy?_ He wasn't some sort of dessert. Chloe was sliding her hands up and down his exposed upper arm with a predatory sort of grin, making Adrien wish he had worn his normal elbow-length jacket even though it was all kinds of hot outside. They were starting to attract a crowd, and more than a few girls in the group were eying him up in the same sort of way Chloe was.

A nun's outfit was starting to sound _really_ attractive, heat be damned.

"Chloe, get off please," Adrien said, pushing lightly and then a bit harder when Chloe continued to cling. "Seriously, it's too warm outside to be doing this."

"You should ask Nathalie to buy you some sleeveless shirts," Chloe said, completely ignoring Adrien's request. He pushed at her harder. "I bet you have some _gorgeous_ shoulder muscles, mmm? Maybe you can do some swimsuit shoots this summer."

"Miss Bourgeois! Kindly remove yourself from Mr. Agreste's arm this minute! That is not appropriate behavior!" Ms. Mendeleiev's voice rang out over the courtyard and Chloe immediately let go of Adrien's arm, stepping back to look for the purple-haired teacher. Adrien took the opportunity to vanish into the crowd, looking for Nino as he fled up the stairs. Instead of Nino, he found two girls cracking up on the second floor.

"What's so funny?" Adrien asked, sliding up to stand next to Marinette. She straightened up with a gasping snicker, coughing a few times as she tried to get enough air to answer him. A peal of laughter from Alya set her off again and it was a few minutes before the two of them calmed down enough to answer.

"I've been practicing ventriloquism- you know, throwing my voice so it sounds like it's coming from somewhere else," Alya gasped out with another snicker. "And you know how I've been doing those teacher impersonations? Well, combine the two of those and-"

"Wait, _you_ were the one who got Chloe off of me? You're the best, Alya!"

Alya grinned. "It was Marinette's idea. You were looking a bit trapped."

"Just a bit. Chloe gets clingy as an octopus sometimes." He grinned down at Marinette, giving her a sideways hug in thanks. His friend went pink. "I'm never wearing short sleeves again if that's the response I get, I swear."

* * *

Chat Noir hadn't realized how much time he spent crouched, sitting, or otherwise not straightened up around Ladybug until he caught her staring at his back in utter disbelief one night during patrol. He turned around grinning, trying to think of some witty quip when she blurted out, "When did you get so _tall?_ "

Chat blinked in confusion. "...I've been growing..."

Ladybug huffed in exasperation, marching forward until they were practically toe-to-toe. Chat Noir tried not to smirk at the height difference as she glared up at him. "I _knew_ you were growing, but this much? Stoooooop. You're making me look small."

"You do that just fine on your own," Chat Noir teased, rolling his shoulders and straightening up to his full height. He laughed as Ladybug rolled onto her tiptoes, trying to look taller. "And I can't stop, won't stop-"

He was cut off as Ladybug leapt up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and dangling off of him from behind, her feet hanging above the ground. "You're _already_ tall enough, you can stop growing now."

Chat Noir spun around, smirking at the way it made Ladybug swing outward. "Nope."

"Pleaaaaase."

"NEVER."

He could feel Ladybug latch on more securely. "I've heard tall people have more health problems."

"Really."

"Uh-huh. Something about the heart having to work harder to pump blood further."

"If you say so."

"I'm just concerned for your health, really." The breathless giggles Ladybug was making gave away the fact that she was kidding. Chat Noir stopped spinning and started bouncing up and down on his toes, grinning as his partner's laughter got louder. She swatted at his shoulder and missed, yelping when she nearly slipped off. He hoisted her back up, holding onto Ladybug's knees as she adjusted her grip on his shoulders.

"Do you like the view from up here?" Chat Noir teased. "I know you normally don't see it from so high up..."

"I've been higher." Ladybug hooked her chin over his shoulder and Chat resisted the urge to purr. Instead, he decided to keep on teasing her.

"You're just like a tiny little backpack." He bounced around the rooftop, still holding onto Ladybug's legs so she stayed securely on his back. "Light as a feather! I could carry you around all day without noticing."

Ladybug only snorted. "Don't forget I can still yank you around by the tail, kitty."

He laughed. "Oh, I know."

Ladybug teasing him about his sudden growth spurt was _so_ much different than Chloe doing it. He was more comfortable getting close to Ladybug, for sure- after all, over a year of fighting together had pretty much eliminated any personal space bubble between them- and Ladybug was joking about it, not trying to feel up his muscles. There was a trust between them that if either of them was uncomfortable with something, the other would back off immediately.

Chat found that he rarely ever wanted Ladybug to give him _more_ space. In fact, _less_ space between them was often preferable, and normally it never happened outside of akuma battles. Ladybug must have been in a _really_ good mood if she was willing to be so playful now.

They spent a solid ten minutes dancing around the rooftops, Ladybug teasingly hanging off Chat Noir's shoulders as he laughed and bounced around.

Down below, hidden from the view of the heroes, Tom and Sabine watched their daughter and the boy who was sure to be their son-in-law someday as they teased each other playfully.

Tom chuckled. "I'm never going to let them forget that we figured it out before they did."

"I can't wait until they figure things out," Sabine said happily, letting out an _aww_ as Chat Noir tugged Ladybug into his arms before leaping from one rooftop to another.

"They're made for each other."

* * *

 _This is the final part of_ Finding Out. _Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story! As always, reviews make my day. :)_


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